TED refuses to publish talk on "income inequality" over politics

I really like the TED talks and think that for the most part, they're interesting and worth the investment of time. That they provide their talks online for free is also just amazing. That said, their refusal to publish a talk about one of the most critical problems that the US faces today is disappointing. It doesn't matter whether we're in an election year or not, income inequality is a serious problem and it's getting worse each year.

I can understand that TED wants to remain neutral and non-partisan but honestly, look at the discussions there and it's obvious that modern Republicans would find it to be political and a bunch of junk. The GOP doesn't believe in the environment just as they don't believe that income inequality is a problem.

TED organizers invited a multimillionaire Seattle venture capitalist named Nick Hanauer – the first nonfamily investor in Amazon.com – to give a speech on March 1 at their TED University conference. Inequality was the topic – specifically, Hanauer’s contention that the middle class, and not wealthy innovators like himself, are America’s true “job creators.”

“We’ve had it backward for the last 30 years,” he said. “Rich businesspeople like me don’t create jobs. Rather they are a consequence of an ecosystemic feedback loop animated by middle-class consumers, and when they thrive, businesses grow and hire, and owners profit. That’s why taxing the rich to pay for investments that benefit all is a great deal for both the middle class and the rich.”

You can’t find that speech online. TED officials told Hanauer initially they were eager to distribute it. “I want to put this talk out into the world!” one of them wrote him in an e-mail in late April. But early this month they changed course, telling Hanauer that his remarks were too “political” and too controversial for posting.

Also check out the PowerPoint slides that were too hot for TED as well as the talk itself. TED should be ashamed of themselves. If they are afraid to publish the truth, they're seriously in trouble.

I really like the TED talks and think that for the most part, they're interesting and worth the investment of time. That they provide their talks online for free is also just amazing. That said, their refusal to publish a talk about one of the most critical problems that the US faces today is disappointing. It doesn't matter whether we're in an election year or not, income inequality is a serious problem and it's getting worse each year.

I can understand that TED wants to remain neutral and non-partisan but honestly, look at the discussions there and it's obvious that modern Republicans would find it to be political and a bunch of junk. The GOP doesn't believe in the environment just as they don't believe that income inequality is a problem.

TED organizers invited a multimillionaire Seattle venture capitalist named Nick Hanauer – the first nonfamily investor in Amazon.com – to give a speech on March 1 at their TED University conference. Inequality was the topic – specifically, Hanauer’s contention that the middle class, and not wealthy innovators like himself, are America’s true “job creators.”

“We’ve had it backward for the last 30 years,” he said. “Rich businesspeople like me don’t create jobs. Rather they are a consequence of an ecosystemic feedback loop animated by middle-class consumers, and when they thrive, businesses grow and hire, and owners profit. That’s why taxing the rich to pay for investments that benefit all is a great deal for both the middle class and the rich.”

You can’t find that speech online. TED officials told Hanauer initially they were eager to distribute it. “I want to put this talk out into the world!” one of them wrote him in an e-mail in late April. But early this month they changed course, telling Hanauer that his remarks were too “political” and too controversial for posting.

Also check out the PowerPoint slides that were too hot for TED as well as the talk itself. TED should be ashamed of themselves. If they are afraid to publish the truth, they're seriously in trouble.

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